Wedding in zermatt...rail passes.

we will be traveling from the US to zermatt via zurich in September 2014 for our son's destination wedding. we will stay in zermatt 7-8 days for the wedding and while there ride all the lifts and gondolas for hiking an sightseeing. our return back to the US will be via zurich.

a few of us will remain in the zermatt area a few more days for more extensive hiking and climbing (and also to have a little weather security in case of rain) and will once again be using the lifts system.

is the swiss card our best option? also, using the swiss card for the train between zurich and zermatt requires using the most direct route. what is considered the most direct route? are there options?

Hello Connie! Great that you get to celebrate your son's wedding in Zermatt. Yes, the Swiss Card makes most sense in your case. The most direct route is the one proposed by the timetable via Visp. However, an alternative is allowed as long as it's equally expensive as this standard route. In your case, you could also make a more scenic trip using the Lötschberg RegioExpress: instead of the tunnel connection between Spiez and Brig you'll actually cross the mountains and have great views. Enter Goppenstein as via-station for details.

You still have plenty of time for your preparations, and I suggest that you wait until next summer with your actual purchase. You can keep an eye on this forum to see if any interesting rail pass offers are available by then.